2up on 695. any advice?

[tristantumble]

Hi team.

just a quick question about 2up riding on my 695. My GF has finally come around to riding on the back on my bike, but its really cramped when we're both on it, and our combined weight is about 300lbs. Steering is a lot harder then when i'm alone....Any advice on how to make these rides more enjoyable?

[somegirl]

2-up FAQ

If you are going to be riding 2-up regularly, you might consider adjusting your suspension accordingly.

[amcloud]

Make sure she is aware of how to be a passenger.  If this is the first time she has been on the back of the bike, she is most likely fighting you, making everything you do much more difficult.  Find some literature on being a passenger and get her to read it.  My gf rides with me quite often and I hardly notice shes back there.  Our combined weight is similar to yours.  When she first started riding on the back she would lean against me, trying to stay upright.  If you tell her to let her body go limp and just flow with the movement of the bike you will have a much easier ride.  You can also tell her to look over your right shoulder in right turns and left shoulder in left turns.  This will force her to lean with you in the turns.  Once she figures out how to be a passenger, riding 2up will be easy.

[erkishhorde]

Remember to give yourself a lot more space for braking. IIRC most of the 695 came with single disk front brakes so your stopping power most likely isn't too great.

Squeezing you with her thighs to help maintain her position on the seat can make a world of difference. I once rode for a bicycle race official and she only held on with her legs because she was writing things in her pad all the time. It was almost like she wasn't even there. Given that there was almost no starting/stopping but even when we did take off or slow down she didn't hold onto me unless I asked her to.

[DesmoDiva]

My 695 had dual front discs. 

According to Ducati that was stock from the factory on all 695s.

              Front brake:  2 x 300 mm discs, 2-piston caliper  

Lee Parks also has a good chapter on two-up riding in his Total Control book. 

[somegirl]

My 695 had dual front discs. 

So does mine, and it brakes fine riding two-up.  I do allow some extra stopping distance and I also use the rear brake with a passenger.

[tristantumble]

thanks for the feedback. i do have the total control book, i guess part of the problem was that she had this heavy bag hanging off her back, but to the side, it really trough my balance off.

practice makes perfect!

[Raux]

you were using the wife as a pack mule? dang dude.

seriously though. the backpack needs to be tight against her body and the items in it not allowed to shift if they're that heavy. it's like throwing a bowling ball around behind you in a turn.

hell i can feel if she doesn't turn her head the right way. couldn't imagine a heavy backpack shifting around.

[duc996]

Tell her to go with the flow...

[Jetbrett]

+1 on the Lee Parks' Total Control book.  The chapter on 2 up riding is very good.  I had my daughter riding on the back this weekend for the first time.   She's been on the back of my wife's cruiser, but never my bike. 

We did about a 10 min pre-flight walk through of what she should expect.....lean when I lean, don't push on my back when braking, balls of the feet on the pegs etc.  I forgot to tell her not to shift her weight when we are turning , but she figured this one out on her own after that.  She did so well that I took her on some curves at a mild pace and had so much fun, she didn't want to get off when we pulled in the garage.